Better Communication Together CIC

Our hands and our words work together

Think about the last time you were trying to explain something.

Chances are you didn't keep your hands perfectly still. You probably pointed, demonstrated the size of something, mimed an action or gestured without even realising it.

We all do it.

Gesture isn't something separate from language - it's part of how humans communicate.

Research suggests that the brain systems involved in gesture and speech are closely connected. In fact, many studies have found that people naturally gesture more when they're thinking, searching for a word or explaining a new idea. Those movements don't replace speech; they work alongside it.

Makaton builds on this natural connection.

By pairing speech with meaningful hand movements, we're giving the brain another route to understand, remember and express language. Rather than competing with speech, the two work together.

Will Using Makaton Stop Someone from Talking?

It's a question we used to hear all the time.

Thankfully, it doesn't come up quite as often now because there's much greater awareness of what Makaton is and how it supports communication. But every now and then, someone will still ask: "Won't using Makaton stop them from talking?"

It's a completely understandable question.

Many people assume that if someone starts using signs, they'll stop trying to speak. It seems logical at first glance - if they can sign what they want, why would they need to talk?

But that's not how communication works.

In fact, the opposite is often true. Rather than replacing speech, Makaton gives people another way to communicate while their spoken language develops. For many people, it actually supports speech, rather than getting in the way of it.

Understanding always comes before expression. Before we can use a word ourselves, we first need to understand what it means. 

By making language easier to understand, Makaton gives people stronger foundations for developing spoken language. As their understanding grows, many people become more confident to attempt speech because the words have meaning, rather than simply being sounds they've heard. One of the things I talk about in my workshops is that there is often nothing in the sound of a word that tells us what it means. If I say banana, there's nothing about those sounds that looks or feels like a banana. We simply have to learn that the sounds and the object belong together.

Makaton helps make that connection. The spoken word is paired with a visual sign and symbol, giving the brain more information to work with. Instead of hearing an abstract sound, the learner hears the word while seeing a visual representation of the concept at the same time.

This can make it much easier to understand new vocabulary and remember it later.

We always speak when we sign

This is one of the most important principles of Makaton.

When using Makaton, communication partners continue to speak as they sign. We don't replace words with signs; we use signs to support the key words in what we're saying.

That means the learner is:

• hearing the spoken word
• seeing the sign
• and, where appropriate, seeing the symbol too.

These all reinforce one another and help make the message easier to understand.

If we stopped speaking whenever we signed, we'd actually be taking away opportunities for the learner to hear spoken language. By speaking and signing together, we're continually modelling speech while making it more accessible.

Every person's communication journey is different.

Some people go on to use lots of spoken language. Others use speech and signs together. Some continue to rely mainly on signs throughout their lives.

None of these outcomes is a failure.

The goal has never been speech at any cost. The goal is communication. And when communication becomes easier, speech often follows.